Question on older Sako rifles.

[QuarterBoreGunner]

Cruising gunbroker.com or AuctionArms.com, I often see listing for Sako rifles with the description 'pre-Garcia'.

What does that indicate? I presume that it refers to an import company (as I don't recall many Finns named Garcia) and perhaps a change in manufacture, but I don't really know.

Any clues?

 

[one-shot-one]

garcia/sako

it is kind of like a pre '64 winchester
before 1972 sako used a l61r action (more desirable)
garcia imported from 1972 till some time before 1996? when stoeger begain import, also i believe that in between garcia and stoeger that rymac imported for a while, don't have exact dates except 1972.

 

[igor]

as I don't recall many Finns named Garcia

me neither...

 

[Art Eatman]

The early Sakos used a more Mauser-looking receiver, and the stocks were sort of blondish in color.

My L579 Forester has the dark stock and was built around 1970 or 1971.

Garcia became the importer around 1972, give or take a few months. Most of the "pre-Garcia" rifles were of the earlier appearance.

There was a fire at the factory around 1975-ish, IIRC, and for a while there was a lot of griping about lessened quality. That problem didn't last long.

(I'm having to dredge from memory, not having any reference material with me, so I could be off on the dates a bit...)

Harley could most likely give you better info in his forum.

Art

 

[Master Blaster]

The current American Rifleman has an article on the history of SAKO along with a review of the Tika rifle they make. I think that Garcia refers to the fishing / sporting goods company that imported their rifles to the US at some point (1973?). IIRC the article mentioned that they requested SAKO make the rifles less expensive, so some of the handwork and finishing was eliminated.

Check out American Rifleman for the full story.

 

[igor]

Your resident Finnish language police / trivia besserwisser here: Tikka with two k's in the middle. Translates to "woodpecker". Disperse, nothing to see here. Go on, now.

 

[QuarterBoreGunner]

Thanks guys; that's sort of what I thought.

'Translates to "woodpecker".'

Wow. I was kind of hoping it translated to something along the lines of 'Scourge of the Icy North' or 'BloodSpiller of the Tundra'... woodpecker... darn it.

 

[igor]

QBG, .

The logic escapes me too. One might expect a "woodpecker" to be full-auto... ra-ta-ta-ta-ta....